By Linzi Watson

Last updated 11:13, Monday, 28 July 2008

DEAD foxes, rabbits and deer have been found in fields around Brampton prompting fears that poachers are brutally killing animals.

‘Disgusting’: Fox cubs have been found dead in Brampton

Parish councillor Ian Pennington believes Brampton’s wildlife is being “decimated” after he found two fox cubs slaughtered on a public path.

He said he had also received reports from concerned animal lovers about dead rabbits, foxes and deer found in woodland and fields nearby.

“There has been a spate of killings and there are a lot of dead animals lying around,” he said.

“It is very concerning.

“I was approached by a woman who found deer parts in a bin bag at the Ridgewood. I have also been told about rabbits that have been killed and left to rot.”

Mr Pennington believes “people with rifles are just decimating local wildlife” and said it was the worst he had seen in 40 years living in the area. “I was watching two little fox cubs playing near the old church at the Irving,” he added.

“They were barking and chasing each other around.

“Then I came across these two dead cubs on the bridle path, near the plantation wood. Someone had spiked one of their little bodies on a fence. It is disgusting.”

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA in Cumbria, Leanne Goacher, said that the law surrounding the shooting of wildlife is very complex but added that animals should not be allowed to suffer unnecessarily.

“Wildlife is not automatically covered by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 but there are certain circumstances where they may become a protected animal, for example if they are in the control of a person,” she said.

“There is legislation, the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which protects some species from being taken or killed, but that list doesn't include foxes, rabbits or deer, which are considered to be pest species.”

The latest incident comes just days after a bag of rotting rabbits with their stomachs slit were discovered on a Carlisle estate. The bin bag with its grisly contents was found lying on a pavement in Creighton Avenue, Raffles, on Tuesday.

Two weeks ago, more than 40 dead animals were found scattered across a 10-metre stretch in a field near Maryport. Two days before that two dogs were found dead in separate incidents in Carlisle. And the previous day, a cat was found shot dead in a shed near Penrith.

Anyone with information about animal cruelty is asked to contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.